tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-58484432018-09-17T03:26:16.239-04:00Tidewater MusingsPeter A. Stinsonnoreply@blogger.comBlogger222312536.830748-76.313695http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/fb_pwrd.gifTidewaterMusingshttps://feedburner.google.comThis is an XML content feed. It is intended to be viewed in a newsreader or syndicated to another site.tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5848443.post-5560163653378223222009-12-23T01:18:00.000-05:002009-12-23T01:19:00.596-05:00This is a test: Post by mail<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_-HsfzIWly6k/SzG2VI7GTPI/AAAAAAAACg8/RO2CBVXr6tI/s1600-h/AltMe-avatar-740598.jpg"><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_-HsfzIWly6k/SzG2VI7GTPI/AAAAAAAACg8/RO2CBVXr6tI/s320/AltMe-avatar-740598.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5418312300992285938" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_-HsfzIWly6k/SzG2VQ_n9FI/AAAAAAAAChE/4VAlFGFmnZg/s1600-h/Avatar-nosnitsap-741729.jpg"><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_-HsfzIWly6k/SzG2VQ_n9FI/AAAAAAAAChE/4VAlFGFmnZg/s320/Avatar-nosnitsap-741729.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5418312303158752338" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_-HsfzIWly6k/SzG2V6ha2JI/AAAAAAAAChM/Q_7zUfOJ0Es/s1600-h/Avatar-NewsAdict-resized200square-743660.jpg"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_-HsfzIWly6k/SzG2V6ha2JI/AAAAAAAAChM/Q_7zUfOJ0Es/s320/Avatar-NewsAdict-resized200square-743660.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5418312314306353298" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_-HsfzIWly6k/SzG2WHDo4qI/AAAAAAAAChU/2W_GSFMe_BI/s1600-h/Avatar-OrgConsultant-744757.jpg"><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_-HsfzIWly6k/SzG2WHDo4qI/AAAAAAAAChU/2W_GSFMe_BI/s320/Avatar-OrgConsultant-744757.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5418312317671105186" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_-HsfzIWly6k/SzG2WjQ16AI/AAAAAAAAChc/uwEGilhMxCc/s1600-h/Avatar-RoboPeter-746140.jpg"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_-HsfzIWly6k/SzG2WjQ16AI/AAAAAAAAChc/uwEGilhMxCc/s320/Avatar-RoboPeter-746140.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5418312325242677250" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_-HsfzIWly6k/SzG2W4cFhjI/AAAAAAAAChk/t2cQzav6r0c/s1600-h/Headshot-Peter-Cartoon-747297.jpg"><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_-HsfzIWly6k/SzG2W4cFhjI/AAAAAAAAChk/t2cQzav6r0c/s320/Headshot-Peter-Cartoon-747297.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5418312330926982706" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_-HsfzIWly6k/SzG2XEzWtKI/AAAAAAAAChs/nSXvjodZX2s/s1600-h/SelfPortait-May2009-Lakefront-PeterStinson-748328.jpg"><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_-HsfzIWly6k/SzG2XEzWtKI/AAAAAAAAChs/nSXvjodZX2s/s320/SelfPortait-May2009-Lakefront-PeterStinson-748328.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5418312334245803170" /></a></p>One of the great things about Posterous is the ease in being able to<br>post by email. My little attempt at Posterous is at<br><a href="http://pastinson.posterous.com/">http://pastinson.posterous.com/</a>. They&#39;ve made it easy... and then I<br>was reminded today that Blogger, too, has the ability to post by mail,<br>albeit not quite as simple.<p>The question for me: How does it handle attachments?<div class="feedflare">
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</div>Peter A. Stinsonnoreply@blogger.com2http://tidewatermusings.peterstinson.com/2009/12/this-is-test-post-by-mail.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5848443.post-26391628125275579902009-10-09T09:00:00.001-04:002009-10-09T09:00:25.261-04:00PodCamp USCG registration open! Free! Open to the public. 11/17/2009The Coast Guard is hosting a Podcamp in Virginia Beach on Tuesday, 17 November. The event, while hosted by the Coast Guard, is open to anyone interested in learning more (or helping others learn more) about social media, web 2.0, using the Interent to develop stakeholder relationships, and the like.<br /><br />You can register using this here:<br /><br /><div style="display: inline;"><iframe src="http://www.eventbrite.com/tickets-external?eid=438152526&ref=etckt" frameborder="0" marginwidth="5" marginheight="5" vspace="0" hspace="0" width="100%" height="207" allowtransparency="true" scrolling="auto"></iframe><a href="http://www.eventbrite.com/r/etckt"><img src="http://www.eventbrite.com/s.gif" alt="Events" border="0"/></a></div><div class="feedflare">
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</div>Peter A. Stinsonnoreply@blogger.com0http://tidewatermusings.peterstinson.com/2009/10/podcamp-uscg-registration-open-free.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5848443.post-6284694481372415582009-10-06T08:00:00.002-04:002009-10-06T08:00:58.020-04:00What has President Obama accomplished thus far?SNL has the answer:<br /><br /><center><object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" data="http://widgets.nbc.com/o/4727a250e66f9723/4acb2ff4aff81419/4aca092a4f417941/8e245c68/-cpid/51218ae881aed8bf" id="W4727a250e66f97234acb2ff4aff81419" width="384" height="283"><param name="movie" value="http://widgets.nbc.com/o/4727a250e66f9723/4acb2ff4aff81419/4aca092a4f417941/8e245c68/-cpid/51218ae881aed8bf" /><param name="wmode" value="transparent" /><param name="allowNetworking" value="all" /><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /></object></center><div class="feedflare">
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</div>Peter A. Stinsonnoreply@blogger.com0http://tidewatermusings.peterstinson.com/2009/10/what-has-president-obama-accomplished.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5848443.post-57261032322593784912009-10-05T14:45:00.000-04:002009-10-05T14:45:06.916-04:00From the WaPo about the battle at WanatFrom Greg Jaffe, about the battle at Wanat: <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/03/AR2009100303048.html">Almost a Lost Cause - One of the deadliest attacks of the Afghan war is a symbol of the U.S. military's missteps</a>.... <i>The moms just want to know about their son. They want to know what kind of a man he was. The dads want to know how their son died. They want someone to explain to them what happened.</i><br /><br />Worth a read, indeed.<div class="feedflare">
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</div>Peter A. Stinsonnoreply@blogger.com0http://tidewatermusings.peterstinson.com/2009/10/from-wapo-about-battle-at-wanat.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5848443.post-39802071899694546932009-09-19T13:33:00.000-04:002009-09-19T13:33:13.431-04:00Timmy and Alice: Lessons from Facebook (ala 1956)<object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/iROYzrm5SBM&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/iROYzrm5SBM&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object><div class="feedflare">
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</div>Peter A. Stinsonnoreply@blogger.com0http://tidewatermusings.peterstinson.com/2009/09/timmy-and-alice-lessons-from-facebook.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5848443.post-18977272758791686962009-08-02T02:33:00.002-04:002009-08-02T02:35:40.267-04:00United Breaks Guitars<div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tidewatermuse/3778859747/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3473/3778859747_848bcf8c55_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /></a><br /><span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tidewatermuse/3778859747/">United Breaks Guitars</a><br />From <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/tidewatermuse/">Tidewater Muse</a></span></div>This has to suck... for <a href="http://www.united.com">United Airlines</a>. (Although I guess if you take the adage "The only thing worse than being talked about... is not being talked about." <a href="http://www.davecarrollmusic.com/page/about-dave-carroll">David Carroll</a>'s $3500 <a href="http://www.taylorguitars.com/">Taylor guitar</a> was trashed by United Airlines. They told him to get lost and wouldn't pay for the repairs. He wrote a <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YGc4zOqozo">great song that is going viral on YouTube</a>. So, now, <a href="http://www.google.com/search?q=%22United+Airlines%22&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a">Google "United Airlines"</a> and his video is number five in results.<br /><br />As I write this, the video has 4,563,006 views... okay, so maybe half a dozen of them are me. This is my new favorite song. And I'm not a real county fan. The song has struck a nerve with me... and four million other people... Why? Well, aside from the fact it has a little catch to it, it's a great customer service teaching tool. It's what we've all wanted to do but haven't had the talent.<br /><br />I don't think people in most corporations understand that the rules have changed and if they mistreat customers the penalty is larger today than in years past. (Okay, I'm not sure many of us understand the new rules completely; I certainly don't.) Today, a misstep can be recorded and <a href="http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local-beat/United-Breaks-Guitars-a-Smash-Hit-on-YouTube.html?yhp=1">broadcast</a>. The old story was that if a customer had a good experience, they might tell three people; if they had a bad experience, they would tell ten. Today, I might tell a couple of people about good experiences... but pull a bonehead move, and <a href="http://tidewatermusings.peterstinson.com/2009/04/enterprise-attempting-to-make-customers.html">I'll blog about it</a>. And, if I had talent like Dave Carroll, that story would go viral.<br /><br />And, indeed, Mr. Carroll's story has gone viral. And this, my friends is worth the four minutes and thirty-six seconds:<br /><br /><center><object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/5YGc4zOqozo&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/5YGc4zOqozo&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object></center><br /><br />And, I have to think that <a href="http://www.sonsofmaxwell.com/">Dave Carroll and the Sons of Maxwell</a>'s star has taken off. If I'm any indicator of how their fan base is expanding... well, let's just say that I'm a fan, and I never would have heard of Dave Carroll and the Sons of Maxwell if I hadn't stumbled on an aside mention of the video. (And it was purely random. I'd actually have to hunt to find the page.) I'm not a country fan, but I've been listening to Maxwell's sons' songs on YouTube off and on all evening. Had I an iPod, I'd buy their tunes. As it is, I'll likely purchase their albums. Well, okay, not in vinyl but in CD, but the concept is the same... I tried to stream them on <a href="http://www.pandora.com">Pandora</a>, but Pandora doesn't know them (but knows <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Root_Boy_Slim">Root Boy Slim and the Sex Change Band</a>?)<br /><br />Anyway, I'd love to see them play at the <a href="http://www.pavilionconcerts.com/">nTelos Pavilion</a> here in the fair City of Portsmouth.<br /><br />Meanwhile, I'll not ever be able to think of United Airlines without thinking about <a href="http://www.davecarrollmusic.com/story/united-breaks-guitars">United Breaks Guitars</a>. And that can't bode well.<br /><br />I know that the next time I fly United, I'm going to make a crack to some UAL employee about guitars. <br /><br clear="all" /><div class="feedflare">
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</div>Peter A. Stinsonnoreply@blogger.com0http://tidewatermusings.peterstinson.com/2009/08/united-breaks-guitars.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5848443.post-28987818879441070532009-08-02T00:40:00.000-04:002009-08-02T00:40:01.459-04:00It's difficult to preach family values...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_-HsfzIWly6k/SnUX8QzAHdI/AAAAAAAACfY/lH1i8HBIPe8/s1600-h/SarahPalin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_-HsfzIWly6k/SnUX8QzAHdI/AAAAAAAACfY/lH1i8HBIPe8/s200/SarahPalin.jpg" /></a></div>... when your own behavior runs counter to what you preach.<br /><br />If what <a href="http://alaskareport.com/news39/x71283_divorce_palins.htm">the Alaska Report is reporting</a> is true, looks like we now know the real reason that Governor Palin resigned from office: a little too much bedroom action (without the other) going on by both the Governor and the Mister Palin...<br /><br />Photo lifted <a href="http://www.nationalenquirer.com/national_enquirer_world_exclusive_sarah_palins_secret_lover_revealed/celebrity/65481">from The National Enquirer</a>. Is she trying to tell us the size of something?<div class="feedflare">
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</div>Peter A. Stinsonnoreply@blogger.com4http://tidewatermusings.peterstinson.com/2009/08/its-difficult-to-preach-family-values.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5848443.post-50453168484016915672009-06-30T23:55:00.003-04:002009-06-30T23:55:02.447-04:00I will be off net for the next month. Back OOA 8/1/2009. No tweets, posts, or email. Nothing. Dropping off completely. Have a gr8 month.Signing off in 140 characters: I will be off-net for the next month. Back OOA 8/1/2009. No tweets, posts, or email. Nothing. Dropping off completely. Have a gr8 month.<div class="feedflare">
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</div>Peter A. Stinsonnoreply@blogger.com0http://tidewatermusings.peterstinson.com/2009/06/i-will-be-off-net-for-next-month-back.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5848443.post-13902288130098798102009-06-27T14:33:00.000-04:002009-06-27T14:33:04.295-04:00I'm waiting for my bluebird costume to arrive any day now<a href="http://blaugh.com/2008/03/12/addicted-to-twitter" rel="bookmark"><img class="comic" title="Addicted to Twitter" alt="Addicted to Twitter" src="http://blaugh.com/cartoons/120308_twitter_addicted.gif" width="" height=""/></a><div class="feedflare">
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</div>Peter A. Stinsonnoreply@blogger.com0http://tidewatermusings.peterstinson.com/2009/06/im-waiting-for-my-bluebird-costume-to.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5848443.post-84336898420845064732009-06-26T14:20:00.000-04:002009-06-26T14:20:29.886-04:00I've become enamoured with TwitterThere's something about compressing a thought into a teeny, tiny space. Twitter offers 140 and is to blogging like haiku is to poetry. I had been over at Twitter as <a href="http://twitter.com/pastinson">@pastinson</a> for a good long while when I was introduced to <a href="http://www.hootsuite.com">HootSuite</a>, an online tool that allows you to manage multiple Twitter accounts at a time. It is the bomb, and I've gone and created a number of me: <a href="http://twitter.com/OrgConsultant">@OrgConsultant</a>, <a href="http://twitter.com/scurry">@Scurry</a>, and <a href="http://twitter.com/anothercgblog">@AnotherCGBlog</a>. I have now created the Tidwater Musings me, <a href="http://twitter.com/tidewatermuse">@TidewaterMuse</a> to focus on issues here in the Tidewater region of Virginia.<br /><br />I've been spending more time on the micro-blogging than the standard blogging of late. I would imagine that will continue, so if you want to follow along, do. For a Twitter persona that captures all of me, see <a href="http://twitter.com/robopeter">@RoboPeter</a>.<div class="feedflare">
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</div>Peter A. Stinsonnoreply@blogger.com0http://tidewatermusings.peterstinson.com/2009/06/ive-become-enamoured-with-twitter.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5848443.post-10426651697670256872009-06-22T17:24:00.001-04:002009-06-22T17:26:02.292-04:00This looks like a must-see movie: Food, Inc."<a href="http://www.foodincmovie.com/">You'll never look at dinner the same way.</a>"<br /><br /><object data="http://www.takepart.com/sites/default/modules/takepart/takepart_video/swf/player.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" height="360" width="640"> <param name="flashvars" value="bc=26576134001&autoplay=false"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><param name="bgcolor" value="#202020"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></object><div class="feedflare">
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</div>Peter A. Stinsonnoreply@blogger.com0http://tidewatermusings.peterstinson.com/2009/06/this-looks-like-must-see-movie-food-inc.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5848443.post-83176654603299275902009-06-21T01:10:00.003-04:002009-06-21T01:10:47.135-04:00All frequencies broadcast-this could be bad if you're following too close: Request feedback job app http://ow.ly/fiWO IRT http://ow.ly/fiVTAll frequencies broadcast-this could be bad if you're following too close: Request feedback job app http://ow.ly/fiWO IRT http://ow.ly/fiVT<div class="feedflare">
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</div>Peter A. Stinsonnoreply@blogger.com1http://tidewatermusings.peterstinson.com/2009/06/all-frequencies-broadcast-this-could-be.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5848443.post-82821263157974056232009-06-02T10:30:00.001-04:002009-06-02T10:30:48.059-04:00This ought to give you pause...<div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/fraggle_d/2874139135/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3220/2874139135_fc255b57d9_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /></a> <br /> <span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/fraggle_d/2874139135/">Got Rabies?</a> <br /> Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/fraggle_d/">Ignotz</a>. </span></div>... at least for a moment or two.<br /><br />And to think it could be so easy to transmit: <a href="http://www.theweek.com/article/index/96567/Health_scare_of_the_week_Mutant_rabies_is_spreading">Mutant Rabies</a>.<blockquote>Health scare of the week: Mutant rabies is spreading... A highly infectious strain of mutant rabies is spreading among animals across the state of Arizona</blockquote>What makes this scarey is the mutation: transmission isn't through biting; transmission is through social interaction. It's gone airborne.<br /><br /><a href="http://cdrsalamander.blogspot.com/2009/06/so-did-you-like-28-days-later.html">h/t</a> to <a href="http://cdrsalamander.blogspot.com">Commander Salamander</a>.<br clear="all" /><div class="feedflare">
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</div>Peter A. Stinsonnoreply@blogger.com0http://tidewatermusings.peterstinson.com/2009/06/this-ought-to-give-you-pause.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5848443.post-53856117136175635722009-05-23T10:34:00.001-04:002009-05-23T10:34:59.611-04:00More to this story than the headline<div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/policecararchives/2995688563/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3289/2995688563_713a2fa883_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /></a> <br /> <span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/policecararchives/2995688563/">Chesapeake, Virginia Police</a> <br /> Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/policecararchives/">niteowl7710</a>. </span></div>I'm disappointed that we'll probably not hear about all the good stuff that is the backstory to this case: <a href="http://hamptonroads.com/2009/05/calledup-reservist-who-lost-job-sues-chesapeake">Called-up reservist who lost job sues Chesapeake</a>. There's the possibility of dirty laundry on both sides of this one; the suit might be a disguise for Pandora's Box.<blockquote>A former police lieutenant sued the city of Chesapeake on Friday, alleging he was denied the right to re-employment after returning from service in the Coast Guard.</blockquote>Don't dig too deep, 'cause it'll get smelly, quick.<br clear="all" /><div class="feedflare">
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</div>Peter A. Stinsonnoreply@blogger.com0http://tidewatermusings.peterstinson.com/2009/05/more-to-this-story-than-headline.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5848443.post-41032600391598400722009-05-16T17:47:00.002-04:002009-05-16T17:47:33.063-04:00A frog (and a) prince to save the rain forests<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/boEDMVNAPk4&rel=0&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/boEDMVNAPk4&rel=0&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><div class="feedflare">
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</div>Peter A. Stinsonnoreply@blogger.com0http://tidewatermusings.peterstinson.com/2009/05/frog-and-prince-to-save-rain-forests.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5848443.post-73598136647781773142009-05-16T11:20:00.000-04:002009-05-16T11:20:46.411-04:00Ah, college... William & Mary students set world recordSeems students at William and Mary have set a new world record...<br /><br /><object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/wiVutlz9Yzs&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/wiVutlz9Yzs&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object><br /><br />Denise Watson Batts of The Virginian-Pilot tells us <a href="http://hamptonroads.com/2009/05/video-william-mary-crew-breaks-record-dancing-thriller">William & Mary crew breaks record dancing to 'Thriller'</a>.<blockquote>Thrilling news from the College of William & Mary: The school learned today that an often-off-beat but courageous collection of students, faculty and staff broke the Guinness World Record for the most people performing the Michael Jackson “Thriller” dance simultaneously in one location.<br /><br />The feat took place on April 19 in the Sunken Garden when 242 “zombies” – dressed mainly, at least from the looks of a You Tube video, in college standard sweats and shorts – gathered to shuffle, stomp and slide as the classic song rolled across the lawn.</blockquote>What fun...<div class="feedflare">
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</div>Peter A. Stinsonnoreply@blogger.com1http://tidewatermusings.peterstinson.com/2009/05/ah-college-william-mary-students-set.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5848443.post-5887459468097226352009-05-07T21:49:00.000-04:002009-05-07T21:49:01.325-04:00How transparent ought our government be?I'd suggest very.<br /><a href="http://tidewaterliberty.wordpress.com/2009/05/07/formal-sentencing-for-ryan-frederick/"><br />Interesting post</a> over at <a href="http://tidewaterliberty.wordpress.com/">Tidewater Liberty</a> about asking for a citizen review around some of the issues concerning the tragedy of Jarrod Shivers' death. Agree or not with Dr. Donald Tabor's politics, I think everyone would agree that transparency and asking the tough questions to find the truth is important. Are certain politicians dragging their feet as a part of a cover-up?<div class="feedflare">
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</div>Peter A. Stinsonnoreply@blogger.com0http://tidewatermusings.peterstinson.com/2009/05/how-transparent-ought-our-government-be.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5848443.post-52605653708349735662009-05-04T12:26:00.001-04:002009-05-04T12:26:34.871-04:00Guess I know the value of that suggestion program<div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/73648827@N00/3501425944/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3571/3501425944_e91f78b8e4_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /></a> <br /> <span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/73648827@N00/3501425944/">Suggestions?</a> <br /> Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/73648827@N00/">dannyubc</a>. </span></div>Sad, really. Reminds me about the Coast Guard's old Idea Express program... which was killed off because too many people actually submitted ideas and the system was crushed under its own weight.<br clear="all" /><div class="feedflare">
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</div>Peter A. Stinsonnoreply@blogger.com0http://tidewatermusings.peterstinson.com/2009/05/guess-i-know-value-of-that-suggestion.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5848443.post-64606928328133475262009-04-12T17:36:00.000-04:002009-04-12T17:36:36.877-04:00Perhaps next time they'll think twice...... before climbing the stern of a merchant vessel flying the Stars and Stripes. <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2009-04-12-captain-rescued_N.htm">Officials: Merchant sea captain saved from 'imminent danger'</a>.<br /><br />I believe we have now set the standard of response when it comes to f***ing with Americans.<div class="feedflare">
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</div>Peter A. Stinsonnoreply@blogger.com1http://tidewatermusings.peterstinson.com/2009/04/perhaps-next-time-theyll-think-twice.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5848443.post-3361697729044279922009-04-07T06:58:00.002-04:002009-04-07T06:59:30.376-04:00Boats, now cars<div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mattiaswirf/2690201628/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3051/2690201628_ff1581241d_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /></a> <br /> <span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mattiaswirf/2690201628/">Junk car 7</a> <br /> From <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/mattiaswirf/">Mattias (Retrocamera.net)</a>. </span></div>The economy is really doing a number. Last week, <a href="http://cgblog2.blogspot.com/2009/03/deja-vu-all-over-again.html">I noted that some boat owners were scuttling their boats</a> in order to not be saddled with the eternal drain on their wallets. Today I learned it's boats, too.<br /><br />From Emily Friedman, <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/Business/Economy/story?id=7271765&page=1">Cash-Strapped Auto Owners Illegally Ditch Cars: Cases of Auto Fraud on the Rise as Struggling Owners Rid Themselves of Cars</a>.<blockquote>The faltering economy is to blame for a rise in motor vehicle fraud cases nationwide, according to investigators who tell ABCNews.com that never before have they seen owners so desperate to get rid of their wheels, even if it means breaking the law.</blockquote>What's next? Homes?<br clear="all" /><div class="feedflare">
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</div>Peter A. Stinsonnoreply@blogger.com0http://tidewatermusings.peterstinson.com/2009/04/boats-now-cars.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5848443.post-34258207468618851372009-04-03T13:35:00.001-04:002009-04-03T13:35:55.261-04:00Enterprise: Attempting to make customers-for-life one interaction at a time<div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/22244524@N02/2217073029/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2061/2217073029_3af28b9537_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /></a><br /><span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/22244524@N02/2217073029/">Enterprise - Los Angeles</a><br />Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/22244524@N02/">jij16</a></span></div>Orginally this post was going to be titled <i>Enterprise: Not trying harder, and taking you for a ride, not picking you up...</i>, but today I had a phone conversation that prompts me to post about good customer service... well, good customer service following some not-so-good customer service.<br /><br />A couple of weeks ago, I rented a car from Enterprise; the experience was overwhelming, but not in a positive manner. Here is my feedback sent to Enterprise corporate using their website:<blockquote>Last week, using the Enterprise website (which is sometimes less than intuitive or easy to use... such as the ability to provide feedback, but that is another issue than what prompts me to write today) I rented a car for pickup this past Friday. I arrived at the location, downtown Portsmouth VA on High Street, around 0800, just as an employee was opening the door. What happened next is clear indication that Enterprise has substantial systems and process issues which must be addressed. The car I'd requested was not available, and in order to get me a car, the employee had to drive me 9 miles to another location to get the car, a car which had 1/2 a tank of gas and hadn't been cleaned. It was nearly 40 minutes and 9 miles from the original location when I finally turned the key for a car with only 1/2 a tank of gas. On the way back downtown I was pulled over and given a ticket for speeding, an offense that wouldn't have occured if Enterprise had fulfilled their end of the bargain by providing a car when and where the computer system allowed me to rent it. I was behind the eight-ball for the rest of the day, walking in late to an important meeting, walking in late not because of my ten minute delay with the Portsmouth deputy, but because of the 30-plus minute delay caused by Enterprise. To boot, while waiting in the office, several phone calls went unanswered, and Ms. Johnson, who called to arrange for a rental was certainly never called back when the employee told her she would be... I know this because the employee was shuttling me 9 miles to Chesapeake to get the car. As a customer, I don't care that the branch assistant manager was recently fired or that the branch is understaffed or that a car needed an oil change and wasn't ready. If you had systems in place, these wouldn't be the norm. And, that the branch had cars on the lot, be it they were "three levels" higher than what I'd booked, I, as the customer, don't care. You allowed me to book a car, now pony up. If I wanted to drive 9 miles to another location, I would have rented from that location. Returning the car today wasn't much of a better situation. While the employees were apologetic, not one of the two employees I interacted with, Thomas and Starla, went out of their way to make things right. I should have been rented a car when and where I showed up; the car should have been fully fueled up (so I didn't have to stop and get fuel on my trip) and cleaned. In short, this experience with Enterprise has been UNSATISFACTORY.</blockquote>There's a part of me that expected nothing to come of my feedback.<br /><br />I was wrong.<br /><br />A day after providing the feedback, I received a phone call from the local regional manager, Jennifer, who, it turns out, oversees 9 offices. We played phone tag until today (between my out-of-office and her out-of-office the game of tag was inevitable). Today we spoke.<br /><br />She was more than apologetic, and, she made zero excuses. Her take, they messed up; it's there job as a company to get it right, and they hadn't. She told me she'd already refunded the money for the car rental and she wanted to ensure me that the next time I rented with Enterprise, they'd show me excellent customer service.<br /><br />I'm due to head to DC again next week, so I'll be taking her up on the offer.<br /><br />I'll tell you what was nice to hear: (a) she'd already done what she could in terms of refunding the charge for the car; (b) she offered no excuses, knowing that I didn't need to hear or want to hear them. I think this is a lesson for all us. Our customers don't care about our problems, they just want things to work they way they're supposed to. Don't saddle the customer with excuses; just work to get it right.<br /><br />While I've even mentioned it in my feedback -- "I don't care that..." -- it's a good reminder for all of us who deal with customers in our jobs. Our customers don't care. They don't care we can't get and keep good employees; they don't care if our suppliers screw up; they don't care if our IT systems can't get things right; they don't care if we've had a bad day or a rough night. What our customers care about is getting our products and services in the agreed-upon manner.<br /><br />We're all human; we all make mistakes, but let's not make rationales or excuses, but rather let's work to get the systems and processes in place to do excellence and deliver a satisfactory customer experience.<br /><br />And, I could take the lesson, too, I know. And, as such, I'm going to make doing customer focus, rather than just teaching customer focus, more to the forefront of my daily work.<br /><br />And, next Friday, let's see if Jennifer has been able to make some systems changes at the downtown Portsmouth Enterprise office.<div class="feedflare">
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</div>Peter A. Stinsonnoreply@blogger.com0http://tidewatermusings.peterstinson.com/2009/04/enterprise-attempting-to-make-customers.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5848443.post-66188498945051332602009-03-31T23:19:00.000-04:002009-03-31T23:19:01.229-04:00And to think I fell for it: 3-in-1 GoogleI'm kicking myself... I so fell for this... <a href="http://googlesystem.blogspot.com/2009/03/3-in-1-google.html">3-in-1 Google</a>... <blockquote>Google tests a new homepage that replaces the "I'm Feeling Lucky" button with two new options that let you search using Yahoo and Live Search. "I'm Feeling Lucky" was rarely used</blockquote>Tomorrow is going to be damn ugly...<div class="feedflare">
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</div>Peter A. Stinsonnoreply@blogger.com0http://tidewatermusings.peterstinson.com/2009/03/and-to-think-i-fell-for-it-3-in-1.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5848443.post-40877012096595642082009-03-30T22:22:00.000-04:002009-03-30T22:22:07.643-04:00PETA: Are they a case study waiting to happen?I saw this headline today: <a href="http://petakillsanimals.com/index.cfm">PETA’s Pet Killing Program Set a New Record in 2008: Public Records: PETA Found Adoptive Homes for Less than 1 out of 300 Animals</a>.<br /><br />My wife, generally more optimistic than me and certainly less cynical: "Oh, that doesn't surprise me."<div class="feedflare">
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</div>Peter A. Stinsonnoreply@blogger.com0http://tidewatermusings.peterstinson.com/2009/03/peta-are-they-case-study-waiting-to.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5848443.post-35580910816312597302009-03-03T06:24:00.000-05:002009-03-03T06:24:12.937-05:00Support your local CISM tickets: Buy tickets to local community theatre productionI'm hawking tickets to a community theatre production of "Over the River and Through the Woods" by Joe DiPietro. I'd like you, dear reader, to purchase a ticket or two (or three or four or more). Why? Because ticket sales benefit the <a href="http://www.tidewaterems.org/index.php?option=com_content&amp;task=view&amp;id=1075&amp;Itemid=143">Tidewater Critical Incident Stress Management Team</a>, a crisis intervention team that assists police officers, fire fighters, EMTs, and other emergency first responders in southside Hampton Roads and the Eastern Shore.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_-HsfzIWly6k/Sa0RDL2U5lI/AAAAAAAACT0/ggJgmtFlGSw/s1600-h/Final+Poster+OTRATTW.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_-HsfzIWly6k/Sa0RDL2U5lI/AAAAAAAACT0/ggJgmtFlGSw/s400/Final+Poster+OTRATTW.jpg" style="cursor: move;" /></a></div><br />100% of the ticket sales benefit the CISM Team. The team will use the funds to train volunteers and provide some of the operating funds for the team that services several thousand emergency services providers in Tidewater Virginia.<br /><br />The production is by Monumental United Methodist Church on Dinwiddie Street (at Queen Street) in Olde Towne Portsmouth and is part of their outreach &amp; community support program. They put on a theatrical production; local non-profits each sponsor one production and get to sell tickets to that production. And then the non-profit gets to keep all the ticket sales.<br /><br />Our show, the show that supports the CISM team, is <b>March 8th at 2:30pm</b>.<br /><br />What's the play about? Here's a summary of the play I <a href="http://www.goldfishpublishers.com/RiverWoods_HCT.html">found online</a> written by <a href="http://www.goldfishpublishers.com/">Mark S. P. Turvin</a>: "Nick is the last of the younger set not having fled from the controlling influences of his grandparents Frank , Aida , Nunzio, and eternally house coat-clad Emma. When Nick receives a promotion that will send him to the other side of the continent, the four come up with a plan to keep him around by setting him up with the sweet Caitlin O'Hare without telling him during one of their Sunday dinners."<br /><br />My wife, who happens to play Caitlin, tells me the play is really about food.&nbsp; She said it's about family (Italian families, actually) and food.<br /><br />And, in this case, the production is about helping the community.<br /><br />If you're interested in supporting the CISM team and would like to buy a ticket (or two or three or four or more), please <a href="http://www.contactify.com/9931a">contact me here</a> or leave a comment below.&nbsp; I'll get the tickets to you or hold them at the door for you.<br /><br />Please support the CISM team, and community theatre.&nbsp; I hope to see you Sunday for the matinee production of "Over the River and Through the Woods."<div class="feedflare">
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</div>Peter A. Stinsonnoreply@blogger.com0http://tidewatermusings.peterstinson.com/2009/03/support-your-local-cism-tickets-buy.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5848443.post-12143412139147216932009-02-18T15:46:00.002-05:002009-02-19T11:51:33.409-05:00Great photo: 8:48am - pouring rain<div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/limegreeney/3287041136/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3294/3287041136_08a808e07b_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /></a><br /><span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/limegreeney/3287041136/">8:48am - pouring rain</a><br />Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/limegreeney/">limegreeney</a></span></div>I was at a restaurant last night and they had the tube on to some bike race. Okay, it wasn't just some bike race, but the Tour of California, which is, I think, Lance Armstrong's entry back into the racing world. If it's not his entry back, it's darn early.<br /><br />Here's a photo -- a photo which just grabbed me (I think it was the rain coming down) -- I came across on flickr. Great shot, and I wanted to share it.<br clear="all" /><div class="feedflare">
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</div>Peter A. Stinsonnoreply@blogger.com1http://tidewatermusings.peterstinson.com/2009/02/great-photo-848am-pouring-rain.html